The final 12
May 22, 2019
Philippines' Senators-elect, and allies of President Rodrigo Duterte, show the Duterte fist, (L-R) movie actor Bong Revilla, Francis Tolentino, movie actor Lito lapid, former national police chief Ronald dela Rosa, long-time advisor of Duterte, Christopher Bong Go, Cynthia Villar, Pia Cayetano, Sonny Angara, Imee Marcos, daughter of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, Aquilino Koko Pimentel III, while Independent candidates Grace Poe (6th R) and Nancy Binay (R) stand during the proclamation ceremony by the Commission on elections in Manila on May 22, 2019. Allies of President Rodrigo Duterte stormed to a landslide victory in midterm polls, final results showed Masy 22, dissolving a last bulwark against his controversial rule. / AFP / Ted ALJIBE
Commission on Elections, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers, yesterday proclaimed the 12 winning senators, nine days after the May 13 midterm elections.
The winners included five re-electionists, four neophytes and three others who had previously served in the Senate. All are associated with the administration.
Leading the 12 is incumbent Senator Cynthia Villar who garnered 25,283,727 votes. She is followed by her colleague, Grace Poe, who obtained 22,029,788 votes.
Landing in third was former Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go (20,657,702 votes), followed by Taguig Representative Pia Cayetano (19,789,019) and former Bureau of Corrections chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa (19,004,225 votes).
Completing the Top 12 list are the following:
Senator Sonny Angara - 18,161,862 votes
Former Senator Lito Lapid - 16,965,464 votes
Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos - 15,882,628 votes
Former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Francis Tolentino - 15,510,026 votes
Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel - 14,668,665 votes
Former Senator Ramon Bong Revilla - 14,624,445 votes
Senator Nancy Binay - 14,504,936 votes
The results are based on a total of 167 certificates of canvass that were transmitted from all over the country, as well as those manually prepared, including detainee and local absentee voting.
The newly-proclaimed senators will hold Senate seats until 2025.
The winners will serve alongside incumbent Senators Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Leila De Lima, Vicente Sotto III, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian, Ralph Recto, Miguel Zubiri, Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson and Manny Pacquiao, whose terms will last until 2022.
It took more than a week for the NBOC to conduct the canvassing of votes which ended past midnight of Wednesday.
While the canvassing was ongoing, there were calls for the poll body to suspend the exercise amid allegations that the recently-concluded elections was marred by fraud.
The Comelec was likewise urged to suspend the proclamation of winning national candidates due to alleged irregularities hounding the elections.